Absolutes

Absolutes show a special "how" relationship between two sentences. The two
sentences are combined in a way that subordinates one to the other. For example,
Mary was sitting at her desk. Her head was slightly lowered over a pile of
chemistry notes.
Mary was sitting at her desk, her head slightly lowered over a pile of chemistry notes.
In order to construct an absolute, follow these steps:

1. Check to see if there is a "be" verb in the sentence you want to

subordinate.
2. If there is a "be" verb, eliminate it and combine the sentences with a
comma.
o Julie accepted the award. Tears were streaming down her face.
o Julie accepted the award, tears streaming down her face.

3. If the subjects are the same, delete the subject of the absolute as well. For
example,

o Julie accepted the award. Julie was overcome with emotion.

o Julie accepted the award, overcome with emotion.
o OR Overcome with emotion, Julie accepted the award.
4. If there is no ?be? verb, change the main verb of the subordinating
sentence into its -ing form. Then eliminate similar subjects and combine
sentences with a comma.
o Johnny ran after the bus. He waved his hands and whistled.
o Johnny ran after the bus, waving his hands and whistling .
o OR: Waving his hands and whistling, Johnny ran after the bus.
5. If there is a "possessive" relationship between the two sentences, use
possessive pronouns (its his, their, etc.) to indicate the relationship between
the subjects.

Active:
The cat confronted the burglar. It arched its back and bared its teeth.
The cat confronted the burglar, arching its back and baring its teeth.
Passive:
The cat confronted the burglar. Its back was arched and teeth were bared.
The cat confronted the burglar, its back arched and teeth bared.